ARTIST STATEMENT

My working method sources structures from molecular, biological, marine, celestial, and cultural systems.  I see interrelationships between systems that have public and private possibilities.  For example, the patterns of interior molecular systems may be blended with the exterior structure of plants, combined with bits of an architectural framework and then embedded within a larger celestial formation.  Our experience is layered with complex systems that reach through tiny cells, flowering vegetation, and distant galaxies.  I look for ways to mix, blend, and juxtapose these systems to create a web of hybrid forms.  My work also explores ambiguities between natural and synthetic.  The abundance of sensory information in the paintings is like the external environment we often find ourselves in.  One could consider how our varied surroundings shape our human experience and range from the micro to the macro.  The color, scale, and material of that surface changes and affects our sense of self.  These experiences seem to manifest on both private and public levels and it is these moments that drive the work. 

 

BIOGRAPHY

Renee Robbins was born in Kankakee, Illinois and was raised in Indiana and Kentucky. She has a BFA in painting and printmaking from the University of Kentucky (2002) and an MFA from Michigan State University (2005).  She works on her art full-time in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.  As an artist, her work has been recognized with awards, grants, publications, and through selection for national exhibitions. Her selected exhibition highlights include Firecat Projects, La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art, South Bend Art Museum, Ann Tower Gallery, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Ai Gallery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Adventureland Works on Paper Gallery, and Tony Fitzpatrick’s Big Cat Press. She received a fellowship in 2004 from the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University to study in Tokyo, Japan, and a 2010 & 2009 CAAP grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. One of her paintings was featured on the cover of the Chicago Reader in November 2012.